Electric lighting means



y 1947- A. F. PIEPER 7 2,420,190

ELECTRIC LIGHTING MEANS Filed April 10. 1944 s Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

May 6, 1947. A. F. PIEPER ELECTRIC LIGHTING MEANS Filed April 10, 1944' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. I

womem ver May 6, 1947.

A. F. PIEPER ELECTRIC LIGHTING MEANS Filed April 10, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR. @zoizsemiver Patented May 6, 1947 UNITED smrrs PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC LIGHTING MEANS Alphonse F. Pieper, Brighton, N Y.

Appl cation Ap il 10, 4, Serial No. 530,3 9

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to electric lighting means, with particular reference to a pedestal lamp of the floor or table type, and it has for its purpose to provide a practical and efiicient structure particularly adapted for circular lamps such as have been developed in the field of fluorescent lighting and comprising a tube bent to circular form.

Fluorescent lamps are now available in circular form in which a glass tube occupies approximately threefourths of the circle, the lamp being open at one side for the remainder of the circle between its ends and the connecting plugs mounted at the ends of the tube, and it is a purpose of the invention to afford a compact and economical structure that will accommodate a pair of circular lamps of this type, or circular lamps of any form.

More particularly, the invention has for its object to afford an arrangement that will accommodate two circular lamps and permit positioning them in such a way with relation to each other as to efiect maximum intensity of light and utilize in the most efficient manner a'll portions of both circular lamps,

Another purpose is to provide a construction that positions two circular lamps in angular relation to each other in difierent vertically inclined planes so as to disperse a maximum amount of light downwardly and outwardly in relation to a surrounding shade whereby a minimum amount of light is absorbed by the shade or Eitherwise lost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism that employs two circular lamps open at one side for about one-fourth the perimeter, and positioning the lamps so that the closed portion of one lamp is located in the open area of the other lamp in an intersecting plane, thus dispersing a light of maximum and substantially uniform intensity and eliminating the dark or blind area that is otherwise created by the open area of a single lamp.

Still another purpose is to afiord a construction that permits locating two circular lamps in such a way as to occupy a minimum space and to be positionable within a, shade of minimum size, while at the same time permitting easy removal or positioning of the lamps in their sockets.

Still a further object of the invention is to afiord a lamp supporting bracket for circular lamps that is of practical, simple, and attractive design, and which enables readily connecting the several lamp sockets to conducting wires that are concealed and lead to a vertical post or standard on which the bracket is mounted.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features '2 being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, with one circular lamp broken away to show the supporting bracket more clearly;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking from left to right of Fig. 1, one of the circular lamps being in position and the other one removed;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the center bracket;

Fig. 4 is a View in elevation, partially in section, looking in the direction of the plane occupied by one of the lamps and at right angles to the plane of the other lamp, and 4 Fig. 5 is a detail view in elevation, partially in section, of one of the lamp supporting arms.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, I designates a vertical post or standard which is hollow to receive the conducting wires and which may be mounted on a suitable floor or table base, not shown, while 2 designates a conventional re actance housing located conveniently on the standard I.

The vertical post I may be threaded at its upper end to receive the body portion of the lamp supporting bracket to be described presently, and secured to the bracket above the post I is a fitting 3 that is threaded at its upper end to receive a, removable ornamental top piece 4 which holds in place the conventional shade, not shown, that is supported between the fitting 3 and the ornamental top piece 4 and surrounds the lamps, now to be described,

The structure illustrated, which is exemplary of one practical embodiment of the invention, is adapted to receive two circular lamps, and to accomplish this, there is provided a bracket constructed from metal, plastic, or other suitable material and including a horizontal body portion 5, having a central threaded opening to engage the upper end of the post I, or otherwise suitably secured to the post I.

The horizontal body portion 5 is hollow and the bracket is provided at the ends of the body portion 5 with hollow integral lamp supporting arms 6. The lamp supporting arms 6 are arranged in pairs, one pair at each end of the body portion 5, and the arms of each pair preferably extend symmetrically upwardly and downwardly from the body portion. The arms 6 of each pair are inclined in opposit directions and lie in a plane generally inclined to the vertical, preferably at an angle of 45, the arms being also curved inwardly toward the vertical post I for a purpose that will appear presently.

The pair of arms at one end of the body portion 5 lie in a plane that is inclined oppositely to the plane occupied by the arms at the other end of the body portion 5, and the arms 8 are so curved inwardly and disposed with relation to the body portion 5 that when the lamps are in position, both lamps are concentrically related to the center of the body portion 5 of the bracket and the lamps occupy planes inclined in opposite directions to the vertical, each at an angle of 45. The angular relation of the lamps may be varied without materially changing the effect, and it is also not essential that the lamps be concentrically positioned in relation to the supporting bracket, although this is the most practical and efficient arrangement for providing maximum light intensity and positioning the lamps within a minimum area both vertically and horizontally.

Each arm 6 is provided with a socket l of conventional form, and conducting wires lead from the sockets 1 through the hollow arms and hollow body portion 5, thence downwardly through the post I to the reactance housing 2. The sockets 1 on the arms are so positioned, in relation to the slots 8 that receive the contact pins of the lamps, that each lamp is positioned in its two sockets by a downward movement at an angle of 45 to the vertical and in the direction of the plane occupied by the other lamp. When so positioned, the lamps occupy the symmetrical relationship indicated in Figs. 2 and 4, the open area between the ends of one lamp receiving the closed portion of the other lamp in a right-angled plane, thus compensating for the dark or blind spot that is created by a single fluorescent lamp of the circular type which has a gap or open area between its ends of about one-fourth the perimeter of the lamp. The lamps are also disposed in such position as to disperse light slantingly downwardly and outwardly to a maximum degree, a result that cannot be accomplished where circular lamps are arranged in parallel planes one above the other.

It will be understood that the lamps, indicated at 9, and the sockets already described, are of conventional form and constitute no part of the invention except as to the positioning of the sockets on the lamp supporting arms to permit assembling the lamps in the respective positions described.

In some instances, it may be desirable to support the lamps at their central portions in case their weight would prevent their being maintained in the sockets in proper position, and this can be accomplished by means of any suitable supporting means surrounding the lamp and engaging the bracket, as for instance, a U-shaped wire member I!) positionable with its closed end around the lamp while its free ends H are disposed in parallelism and engage openings 12 in the bracket or lamp supporting arms, as shown in Figs, 2 and 5. The supporting member I!) is secured after the lamp is positioned in its sockets, and is held in the openings l2 by frictional engagement, which permits ready removal of the supporting member when the lamp is to be taken from its sockets.

The structure described affords a practical and efiicient means for supporting a pair of circular lamps in such a manner as to occupy a minimum space and disperse a maximum amount of light so that the arrangement is readily adapt- 4. changes or modifications as may come within the purposes of the improvement and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Electric lighting means including a vertical post, a bracket on the post comprising a horizontal body portion and a pair of lamp supporting arms at each end of said body portion, said lamp supporting arms at one end being in a plane vertically inclined to and intersecting the plane in which the lamp supporting arms at the other end are located, and circular electric lamps arranged concentrically around the post and each mounted on one of said pairs of arms.

2. Electric lighting means including a vertical post and a bracket on the post comprising a horizontal body portion and a pair of lamp supporting arms at each end of said body portion, said lamp supporting arms at one end being in a plane vertically inclined to and intersecting the plane in which the lamp supporting arms at the other end are located, the arms of each pair extending in opposite directions from the body portion and curving symmetrically inwardly toward the vertical post, sockets mounted on said arms, and circular lamps engaging said sockets with the open portions of the lamps on opposite sides.

3. Electric lighting means including a vertical hollow post and a bracket on the post comprising a hollow horizontal body portion and a pair of hollow lamp supporting arms at each end of said body portion, said lamp supporting arms at one end being in a plane vertically inclined to and intersecting the plane in which the lamp supporting arms at the other end are located, the lamp supporting arms of each pair extending in opposite directions from the body portion, sockets mounted on said arms, conducting wires extending from said sockets through the arms and body portion to the vertical post, and circular electric lamps arranged concentrically around said post and each mounted on one of said pairs of arms.

4. Electric lighting means including a vertical hollow post and a bracket on the post comprising a hOllOWw horizontal body portion and pairs of hollow lamp supporting arms arranged at the ends of said body portion in planes disposed at right angles to each other and at angles of 45 to the vertical acting to support two circular lamps with the open portions of the respective lamps on opposite sides, the lamp supporting arms of each pair extending symmetrically in opposite directions from the body portion and curving symmetrically inwardly toward the vertical post, sockets mounted on the arms, and conducting wires extending from the sockets through said arms and body portion to the vertical post.

' ALPl-IONSE F. PIEPER.

REFERENCES CITED 3 The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

